Chapter 29 Alice in the Cage and the Creepy Cat
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Mirror World Birdcage)
”………”
”A-hee-hee-hee! Silence is the pits, ain’t it? Go on, say somethin’, Alice-swee—huh? What’s this? Oh? Why’s the Queen’s Castle burning?”
”……Huh?”
* * *
The special quest, ‘An Invitation into the Mirror,’ for Maidens x Cross-dressing has a clear objective. The player has to find and secure a total of five Divine Artifacts hidden in five different locations across the Mirror World: the Mirewood, the Bloody Tea Party, the Painted Keyhole, the White Castle, and the Cat Cage Prisoner. Only then can the Protagonist, Alexia, who was forcibly dragged into this world, return to the outside.
And now, they’ve come to us! They’re even making it a huge spectacle, burning everything down and practically highlighting the remaining Artifacts for us. How thoughtful is that, seriously?
So far, we’ve snagged the ‘Blade of the Evil Dragon Play,’ the ‘Red Rose Garment,’ and the ‘Painter’s Key Guardian.’ My party and I are currently moving through the Mirror World, hunting for the two Divine Artifacts left.
(The White Castle, fully engulfed in flames)
”Man, it sure helped that Master Raichi had the Divine Artifact ‘Painter’s Key Guardian,’ which can pick any lock. We wouldn’t be able to move around the Mirror World freely without it, see?” I mused.
”Ughhh… just kill me-ssu… please, just give me a peaceful death-ssu…” Master Raichi, who got absolutely creamed by Alexia and Layla-chan, is currently tied up in chains inside the ‘Honorius’ Vow Scroll. Can’t have him running free; you never know what that guy’s gonna pull.
”Divine Artifact activate, ‘Painter’s Key Guardian.’ Chucky, buddy. Your time to shine, again.” I declared.
*Zzzzzzz…
”H-hey, Shin, boss… now this here, this is one hell of a sight, ain’t it? This really takes the bleedin’ cake, see?” Chucky mumbled, materializing.
’Kyur-La-la~!’
”Isn’t that something, Red-kun? The whole castle’s on fire!” Alexia marveled.
”It reminds me of the firework displays we had with Shin-sama this past summer, Alexia-sama.” Layla-chan added softly.
We came to the place called the White Castle to find the remaining two Divine Artifacts. But the second we landed, a huge mob of card-suited soldiers rushed us. Naturally, Red-kun’s fireballs took care of them, burning them all up for a little treat. The combat matchups in this world are brutal, huh? Everyone turned to ash and vanished. It’s kinda sad, I guess.
”B-but, Boss Shin, come on now! This is too much, even for you! You shouldn’t be showin’ those kinda cruel acts to little kids like that!” Chucky whined.
Chucky’s spouting some weird nonsense now, isn’t he? What’s wrong with him? Did he break? Well, his name is Chucky, after all.
”What’re you talking about, Chucky? This is all just a dream, you know? I’ve already told Alexia and the others that,” I reassured him.
Yeah, this is nothing more than a fleeting dream of a single night.
”Huh? W-what’re ya sayin’, Boss Shin? This is the Mirror World. It’s our world, ruled by that person!” Chucky stammered, his fear spiking.
Chucky really seems broken this time. Guess that’s what happens to dream-world residents. Don’t worry; once you wake up, I’ll use My maximum-power magic to destroy you down to the particle level and forcefully rebirth you into a brand new, completely blank Chucky. You’re welcome.
”No, Chucky. This is a nightmare. It’s the fault of the dream that Red-kun’s fireballs are spreading everywhere across the Mirror World, and it’s the dream’s fault that all those people are being burned Makoto-black,” I explained, tilting my head.
”W-wait, hold up! This is our home, the Mirror World! We ain’t gonna just let some random folks barge in and trample all over us! Gogaaa?!” Chucky protested, his voice cracking with outrage.
”You guys started this story, didn’t you?… You were the ones who forcefully dragged in people like us who knew nothing, and then tried to attack us. This is your—”
I delivered that line like some kind of Yeager, I did. I advanced on Chucky, laying down the harsh facts: they started this. Wait, did I look like a real villain just now? Oh man, how embarrassing.
”Ghiiyya?!… P-please, stop! We were just tryin’ to hunt you guys down, just like that person told us to do!” he whimpered.
”And yet, you seemed to be enjoying it, didn’t you? [Dark Ring]”
SWISH!
”Gyaaaahhh!! My proud key… it’s shattered to pieces!” Chucky shrieked.
”Don’t make so much noise, please. It’ll be a bad influence if Alexia or Layla-chan hear you. You chose the wrong people to pick a fight with. We’re actually pretty strong, you know? [Gravidia]”
”Gooah?!… My body… it’s sinking and being crushed…”
CRUNCH!
With that final gasp, Chucky transformed into a crystal-colored key and stopped talking. Guess I really did need to obliterate his malignant personality this one time. The hostility he had for Alexia and Layla-chan the moment I summoned him was off the charts, so I had to take him out without mercy.
And now, this key (Chucky) is what we need to rescue that old man from the burning White Castle.
”Shin-kun! There’s a weird door over here!” Alexia called out.
”Shin-sama! This spot looks suspicious!” Layla-chan added.
’Kyur-La-la-ru~!’
Oh! Looks like they found the door I asked them to search for. Good work, girls.
* * *
(The Dungeon beneath the White Castle)
My party stands before a massive, silver-white door.
”Is a precious person locked in here, Shin-kun?” Alexia wondered softly.
”It’s a sparkling place. And somehow, a mysterious one,” Layla-chan observed.
”I should hope so. This is where they lock up the person absolutely necessary to clear this special quest,” I responded.
I used the ‘Painter’s Key Guardian’ to unlock the silver-white door—the key I intended to hunt for even before I enrolled in the Alys Magic Academy. In the original game, there was a route where you couldn’t proceed unless you found and secured the ‘Painter’s Key Guardian’ during the middle of the quest—specifically, before the fight with that booger (Jabberwock). But, hey, the Elder Brother came to us and let us defeat him, so that problem’s already solved.
CLUNK… CREAK!
”…A child… who are you all? Coming to such a dangerous place… you’ll be killed,” Carrol—a worn-out old man clad in silver-white armor—mumbled, seated on an ancient chair, the door groaning open.
”You must be Carrol, the White Knight. We’ve come to rescue you… no. We need you to rescue us. And then, let us go rescue your daughter, who is being held captive,” I proposed, my voice measured.
”My daughter? …What foolishness are you speaking? My daughter long ago transformed into a monster and is rampaging across the outside world…” Carrol trailed off.
”No. Your daughter was swapped out by a creepy cat. Right now, she’s the one locked away in the birdcage,” I corrected him firmly.
”…What did you say?”
An ember of righteous fury ignited in the old man’s exhausted face.
”You were the King of this world, originally. You created this world—your daughter’s ideal world—out of love for her. You spun this reality with the simple desire for her to be happy, didn’t you?” I pressed.
”…That’s right… I… no, I created this wondrous world, weaving it as a story, as a novel, all for Alice,” he confessed, his voice heavy with regret.
”And are you going to let it stay stolen?” I challenged, using his true name.
The underlying scenarios in Maidens x Cross-dressing all have a dark fantasy element to them. Most of the characters are damaged or burdened by a dark past. It’s the Protagonist, Alexia, who reaches out a hand to save them.
After clearing the main story and growing into one of the world’s strongest, she’s invited into this place. She is supposed to eliminate the broken people and save the unfortunate, persuading them—
”I will not. I shall reclaim everything.” Carrol hissed, the fury now fully alight.
—and Awakening them.
”Then let’s take back this world with your army! From the false Alice-san… and for the real Alice, your daughter!” I declared, a wide, confident smile spreading across my face.
”…What is it that you wish for?” Carrol demanded, his gaze now sharp and tactical.
”To safely escape this world.”
”Your wish is granted… Come forth! Come forth, my forces of Evil! Execute the vile fiends that plague my world! Crush the wickedness that festers in my world… Come, my conceptual army: the Silver Evil Chariots!” Carrol roared, throwing his entire being into the command.
[OOOOHHHH!!! As the imagination of the Creator commands!]
Silver-armored wraiths began to emerge from the ground beneath the White Castle. It was pure horror-fantasy, really. Even Alexia, having cleared the main game and reaching max-level strength, can’t beat the possessed Alice (a special Boss Monster) when she has countless elite subordinates.
How do we win? you might ask. Simple. We wake up the person who originally created this small dimension and have him correct the twisted, insane narrative of the Mirror World! We’re starting a revolution in a world that, despite Alexia’s help, was fated for a bad ending.
[The Evil Knight Roland is here. He shall advance upon the Mirewood.]
[The Lich Lord Gilford. He shall destroy the scoundrels at the Bloody Tea Party).]
[The Magic Noble Sylphytte. She shall march toward the Painted Keyhole.]
”You are permitted to act. Go, my subordinates! And utterly annihilate them!” Carrol commanded, his voice ringing with authority.
[YES, SIR!]
”And I shall head to the Cat Cage Prisoner leading ten thousand of my forces. Advance!” Carrol yelled, standing up fully.
”OOOHHHH!!!“
”UWOOOH!“
A pale horse and a monster with a sheep’s head emerged from Carrol’s shadow, followed by a white dog and mobs of people who looked like something straight out of an evil demon costume party. They were all overflowing with motivation, even if their faces were sickly looking.
And amidst all this chaos, I snatched the ‘Shield of the Old Knight’, the White Castle’s treasure. Score!
As I recall, the original White Knight Carrol from the ‘Alice Story’ that inspired this special quest was based on a tale called… something about ‘The Knight, Death, and the Devil’? It’s pretty amazing how that concept manifested into such a gruesome-looking army here.
”Quite a sight, isn’t it, Alexia, Layla-chan?” I asked.
’Kyura!’
”Swoosh, swoosh… Shin-kun. I wuv you…” Layla-chan murmured, already half-asleep.
”GOGAAAA!!” Alexia shrieked, clearly shocked by the undead army.
”Huh? You fell asleep already? And is that Layla-chan making all that loud snoring? Well, it’s late, so good girls need their rest, right? In that case, I think I’ll snag that last thing and head straight to the destination.”
* * *
(The Cat Cage Prisoner)
”Oh-ho-ho… Why are you released, Carrol?” a voice purred.
”Silence, Cheshire… you traitor.” Carrol growled.
”Father! I’m so glad you’re safe!” A girl cried out.
”…Alice. Die, you wretch!!” Carrol bellowed, charging forward.
THUD!
”Oh-ho-ho… Does silver truly banish evil…”
Oh, wow, the iconic scene from the Maidens x Cross-dressing game is unfolding right before my eyes! What a rush!
’Kyur-La-la-ra?!’
”Ah, yeah, you’re right, little guy. Once we collect the Divine Artifact ‘Rondo of the Cat Cage’, we should hustle back to the real world,” I agreed, nodding to Red-kun.
”You boy, who appeared out of nowhere! Take your reward! We shall meet again—next time, at our leisure!” Carrol shouted, tossing something directly at me.
”Thank you, Merlin-sama’s Grandson!” a voice called out, full of gratitude.
Hmm? The White Knight Carrol threw something right at me. I reached out and caught it deftly.
”Yoink! This is the ‘Rondo of the Cat Cage’! Lucky me, that saved me the hassle of searching. I also got the ‘Shield of the Old Knight’ from the White Castle. That’s everything! Alright, teleportation magic [Gate]!”
’Kyural-Lu-la~!’
With the ‘Rondo of the Cat Cage’ in hand, I used my teleportation magic [Gate] to jump back to a specific location in the original world.
* * *
(Alys Magic Academy Gymnasium)
”…Things are quite noisy over there. I was hoping to hurry back into the mirror to eat my feast today, but Yorn wouldn’t let go of me. Oh, dear. My mouth is splitting open just thinking about the feast. Heh heh heh.”
The girl’s body was covered in mouth after mouth after mouth.
”Especially that new student, the one who came in as the top student this year. She has such a cute and robust body. Perhaps I’ll devour her entirely, leaving no bones behind.”
Her limbs were stretching out unevenly, and her posture was grotesquely distorted.
”Eee-hee. And as for that second-ranking girl, I’ll start by taking a bite out of her head, then slowly, leisurely peel off her skin while she’s still alive. Then I’ll drape that skin over someone else over there and totally ruin the new students’ interpersonal relationships. Heh heh heh.”
She smiled, a truly malicious and unsettling grin.
”No, no. I can’t let you do that. Alexia and Layla-chan need to get together, you see. I need to avoid the bad endings, for my sake, too. Fake Alice, the Student Council President.” I announced, stepping out of the shadows.
”…That voice? Oh? And why is a new student here, in this place?” she purred, her eyes—or rather, her mouths—turning toward me.
”I’ve come to slay you, the special Gimmick Monster (Boss), and save this distorted Alys Magic Academy. I, Shin Seyfried, the villainous heir, have arrived.”
”…Oh, well then, I shall purge you. As Alice, the Student Council President of the Alys Magic Academy. You.” She declared, her voice cold and absolute.
And so, the battle between me (the villainous heir) and the monster (Alice) began.
Notes:
• Blade of the Evil Dragon Play – One of the five quest artifacts, secured previously (from the Jabberwock). Normally sleek and black, it became “repulsive and vile” due to its host, the Elder Brother.
• Painter’s Key Guardian – One of the five quest artifacts. It can pick any lock and was essential for free movement. Manifested as the puppet Chucky, whose malignant personality Shin destroyed, turning it into a crystal-colored key.
• Red Rose Garment – One of the five quest artifacts, secured previously (by defeating Master Raichi).
• Chucky – A dilapidated puppet summoned by Master Raichi using Wonder Texture Key. Instantly sliced in half by Alexia’s Golden Axe before it could attack.
• Jabberwock – The monstrous form taken by Saghir (Elder Brother) in the Night Mirror World after he was transformed by a cold, feminine voice (Student Council President?). Was defeated, stripped of his excessive weight, and imprisoned in the Honorius Oath repository by Shin.
• Shield of the Old Knight – One of the five quest artifacts. It is the treasure of the White Castle. Shin snatched it during the chaos caused by Carrol’s awakening.
• Rondo of the Cat Cage – The final of the five quest artifacts. Acquired at the Cat Cage Prisoner location when Carrol threw it to Shin. Its collection allowed Shin to use the [Gate] to jump back to the original world.
• Yorn – A maid who is easily delighted by Genkaku mushrooms (implied hallucinogenic). She informed Shin of the banquet.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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